“The conclusions of the parliamentary interim commission have been reviewed, and they contain numerous recommendations. In effect, the entire price formation chain, the mechanisms that determine the cost of various goods, has been subjected to rigorous, fundamental scrutiny,” said MP Archil Gorduladze, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs.

According to Gorduladze, the government’s overarching approach centres on fostering relations between the ruling administration and the business community that are grounded in mutual respect.

“Recommendations have been issued from which, broadly speaking, short-, medium- and long-term solutions may be developed that will ultimately lead to a reduction in prices. One of the immediate measures to be implemented is the sharing of specific experiences among different countries which have already worked with or are currently working with such approaches. This collaboration is expected to help reduce prices for certain goods. We have a clear position on what the relationship between the governing team and business ought to look like; it should be built on mutual respect. It is inconceivable that it should exist in any other form. If there is no business, there is no economy; and consequently, no jobs are created, the economy does not develop, and all of this weighs ever more heavily on the social fabric of Georgia’s population,” Gorduladze stated.

He went further, asserting that the collective “National Movement” invariably sides with high prices, disorder and the language of hatred in the hope of worsening the social climate and fishing in troubled waters.

“Were we a government in the mould of the United National Movement, we would simply have applied pressure on business. Business would have been directly controlled by the authorities, which is not something we do, nor shall we ever do. Since 2012, business has been free. What matters is that businesses must also feel a sense of social responsibility, as evidenced by the statements we have seen in recent days. Ultimately, the primary aim of business is, on the one hand, to turn a profit, and on the other, in keeping with its social responsibility, to ensure that prices remain acceptable to society. This is the balance that must be struck, where business, government and the people must work together and take concrete steps, both in the short, medium and long term. As for the opposition’s criticism, the collective National Movement stands on the side of higher prices. They always stand on the side of high prices, disorder and the language of hatred, hoping somehow to worsen the social environment and fish in troubled waters,” Gorduladze declared.

For reference, the parliamentary interim commission investigating the pricing structures of food products, medicines, and fuel adopted its final report during its concluding session on May 1.